杏MAP导航

By Sergio Centofanti

鈥淭he power of evil arises from our refusal to love God鈥� Learning to love God is therefore the path of human redemption.鈥� 杏MAP导航 emeritus Benedict XVI wrote those words in an article for the German periodical Klerusblatt, in which he reflects on the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors perpetrated by members of the clergy.

Benedict XVI takes his cue from February鈥檚 meeting on the protection of minors in the Church promoted by 杏MAP导航 Francis to send out 鈥渁 strong message鈥� and 鈥渢o make the Church again truly credible as a light among peoples and as a force in service against the powers of destruction鈥�. He affirms his desire to give his contribution to this mission 鈥渆ven though, as emeritus, I am no longer directly responsible鈥�, and thanks 杏MAP导航 Francis 鈥渇or everything he does to show us, again and again, the light of God, which has not disappeared, even today鈥�.

The text is divided into three parts.

Social context

In the first part, Benedict explores the social context surrounding the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s. During this period, he writes, pedophilia was 鈥渄iagnosed as allowed and appropriate.鈥�

He says 鈥渢he extensive collapse of the next generation of priests鈥� and 鈥渢he very high number of laicizations were a consequence of all these developments.鈥� This was accompanied by the 鈥渃ollapse鈥� of Catholic moral theology, which, Benedict affirms, begins to yield to relativist temptations. According to certain theologians, he observes, 鈥渢here could no longer be anything that constituted an absolute good, any more than anything fundamentally evil; [there could be] only relative value judgments. There no longer was the [absolute] good, but only the relatively better, contingent on the moment and on circumstances.鈥�

Benedict XVI cites the 1989 Cologne Declaration, signed by 15 Catholic professors of theology, which led to 鈥渁n outcry against the Magisterium of the Church鈥� and against 杏MAP导航 John Paul II, who later published the Encyclical Veritatis splendor, in 1993, which contains 鈥渢he determination that there were actions that can never become good.鈥�

鈥淚n many circles of moral theology鈥�, he adds, 鈥渢he hypothesis was expounded that the Church does not and cannot have her own morality鈥�. This conception, he observes, 鈥渇undamentally鈥� calls into question the authority of the Church in matters of morality and ultimately 鈥渇orces her to remain silent precisely where the boundary between truth and lies is at stake鈥�.

Effects on formation of priests

In the second part of the text, the 杏MAP导航 emeritus explores the consequences of this process on the formation and life of priests. 鈥淚n various seminaries,鈥� he writes, 鈥渉omosexual cliques were established, which acted more or less openly鈥�. 鈥淭he Holy See knew of such problems, without being informed precisely鈥�. He writes that attitudes in line with the Second Vatican Council 鈥渨ere understood to mean having a critical or negative attitude towards the hitherto existing tradition, which was now to be replaced by a new, radically open relationship with the world鈥�, with individual bishops even seeking 鈥渢o bring about a kind of new, modern 鈥楥atholicity鈥欌��.

Benedict XVI underlines that the question of pedophilia, as he recalls, 鈥渄id not become acute until the second half of the 1980s.鈥� He says Rome and Roman canonists at first dealt with the problem in a bland and slow manner, guaranteeing in particular the rights of the accused 鈥渢o such an extent that convictions were hardly possible鈥�. Benedict says he agreed with John Paul II that it was appropriate to assign the competence for the abuse of minors to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in order 鈥渢o impose the maximum penalty lawfully鈥� through a genuine criminal process鈥�. Convictions, therefore, could lead to expulsion from the clergy. However, because delays arose, he says, 鈥渨hich had to be prevented owing to the nature of the matter, 杏MAP导航 Francis has undertaken further reforms.鈥�

Perspectives on proper response

In the third part of the text, 杏MAP导航 emeritus Benedict XVI proposes some perspectives for a 鈥減roper response on the part of the Church.鈥�

鈥淭he counterforce against evil, which threatens us and the whole world,鈥� he says, 鈥渃an ultimately only consist in our entering into this love.鈥� 鈥淎 world without God can only be a world without meaning鈥�, in which the standards of good or evil no longer exist, leaving only the law of the strongest. 鈥淧ower is then the only principle. Truth does not count, it actually does not exist.鈥�

Benedict strongly accuses Western society of losing its true measure. 鈥淲estern society is a society in which God is absent in the public sphere and has nothing left to offer it. And that is why it is a society in which the measure of humanity is increasingly lost. At individual points it becomes suddenly apparent that what is evil and destroys man has become a matter of course.鈥� This is the case of pedophilia, he says. 鈥淚t was theorized only a short time ago as quite legitimate, but it has spread further and further.鈥� Benedict XVI says the answer to all this is 鈥渢o learn again to recognize God as the foundation of our life鈥�.

In this perspective of returning to God, the 杏MAP导航 Emeritus also speaks of the need to renew faith in the Eucharist, often devalued to a 鈥渃eremonial gesture鈥�, destroying 鈥渢he greatness of the Mystery鈥� of Christ鈥檚 death and resurrection. Instead, we need to ask the Lord for forgiveness, he says, and 鈥渁sk Him to teach us all anew to understand the greatness of His suffering, His sacrifice. And we must do all we can to protect the gift of the Holy Eucharist from abuse.鈥�

鈥淲hen thinking about what action is required first and foremost,鈥� he says, 鈥渋t is rather obvious that we do not need another Church of our own design.鈥�

鈥淭he Church today is widely regarded as just some kind of political apparatus鈥�. 鈥淭he crisis, caused by the many cases of clerical abuse, urges us to regard the Church as something almost unacceptable, which we must now take into our own hands and redesign. But a self-made Church cannot constitute hope.鈥�

Benedict XVI says the action of the devil, whom he calls 鈥渢he accuser鈥�, is aimed at proving 鈥渢hat there are no righteous people鈥�. 鈥淣o, even today the Church is not just made up of bad fish and weeds. The Church of God also exists today, and today it is the very instrument through which God saves us. It is very important to oppose the lies and half-truths of the devil with the whole truth: Yes, there is sin in the Church and evil. But even today there is the Holy Church, which is indestructible.鈥�

Today鈥檚 Church, he says, 鈥渋s more than ever a 鈥淐hurch of the Martyrs鈥� and thus a witness to the living God.鈥�

杏MAP导航 emeritus Benedict XVI observes that 鈥渢o see and find the living Church is a wonderful task which strengthens us and makes us joyful in our Faith time and again鈥�.

He concludes by expressing his gratitude to 杏MAP导航 Francis. 鈥淚 would like to thank 杏MAP导航 Francis for everything he does to show us, again and again, the light of God, which has not disappeared, even today. Thank you, Holy Father!鈥�